Never really permeated through to my conscious. Like him, and maybe need to hear more, but he's just passed me by somewhat. The Rising is actually my favourite Springsteen song
When you think about it Zimmie that must be the case with so many artists. To "get" an artist takes a considerable amount of time and listening.
It's like on another thread I was waxing lyrical about Van Morrison's Astral Weeks. That particular album takes tens of hours intense listening before its joys truly unveil themselves. What you are then left with is an album for a lifetime's savouring. Yet how many are prepared to go through those "pain barriers" with an artist? And what if after all that input you are left still underwhelmed?
It's a similar case with Brucie. The guy has created untold joys on disc - though many more live of course. Yet he remains undiscovered by many 30-45 year olds who are simply put off by the images of 1984's Born in the USA. They've seen the hype and bombast of all that and simply cannot reconcile it with claims of Bruce being the consummate artist so many of his devotees claim.
In the end you either have to rely on advice and give it a go or else resign yourself to the fact that he may just have to remain a lost pleasure. Along no doubt with many others. I guess none of us can ever really '"get" even a smidgeon of what's out there.
My own advice for what it's worth.
Start at the beginning. Get the cheaply available "Greeting from Asbury Park" . The seeds of Brucie's greatness are clearly apparent in most of the tracks on there and several cuts have rarely been bettered by anyone in rock music. Ceratainly not on a debut album. I'm thinking of 'Growin Up' and 'Blinded by the Light'. If you connect with those then the world of Bruce is your oyster. His range is astonishing and I can think of only one album - Human Touch - in which there is not really much to recommend whilst there are host of albums which rank with popular music's very finest.
